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I actually have on my shelf (and have carefully quoted from)
The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, p. 69, Vol. 2
The
Encyclopedia Britannica p. 995, 14th ed., v. 12.
Today’s Dictionary of the Bible, 1982, Bethany House
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Eerdmans,
A Dictionary of the Bible, Hastings, Vol. 2,
New Bible Dictionary, Douglas (ed.), 1962
The Septuagint
This is not from the Watchtower nor anyone else but from me and the sources I have quoted. Your argument is with them.
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14 And God said unto Moses, I will be that I will be: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I will be hath sent me unto you. - Leeser translation.
14 God said to Moses, "I-will-be-what-I-will-be;" - Moffatt
“I will be what I will be”.—Byington
"I Will Become" - Rotherham
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
14.
I will be that I will be (3rd marg.)] The words are evidently intended as an interpretation of the name
Yahweh, the name,—which in form is the third pers. imperf. of a verb (just like
Isaac, Jacob, Jephthah), meaning
He is wont to be or
He will be,—being interpreted, as Jehovah is Himself the speaker, in the first person. The rendering given appears to the present writer, as it appeared to W. R. Smith, and A. B. Davidson, to give the true meaning of the Heb.
’Ehyeh ’ăsher ’ehyeh: Jehovah promises that He
will be, to Moses and His people,
what He will be,—something which is undefined, but which, as His full nature is more and more completely unfolded by the lessons of history and the teaching of the prophets, will prove to be more than words can express. The explanation is thus of a character to reassure Moses. See further the separate note, p. 40.
How do you explain that the two trinitarian-written NT Hebrew translations I have both say at John 8:58
ani hu instead of
ehyeh ?
Hebrew New Testament by Franz Delitzsch and
Hebrew New Testament by The United Bible Societies (UBS).
Well translating from Greek to greek is was thing but translating from Greek to Hebrew is not exact! I can give you possibilities why they did not use eyah but the most probable by look is that they use modern hebrew instead of ancient hebrew.
I can't answer for those who wrote that way but let us look:
New International Version
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
New Living Translation
Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am !”
English Standard Version
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Berean Study Bible
“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
Berean Literal Bible
Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."
King James Bible
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
New King James Version
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
New American Standard Bible
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”
NASB 1995
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”
NASB 1977
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”
Amplified Bible
Jesus replied, “I assure you
and most solemnly say to you, before Abraham was born, I Am.”
Christian Standard Bible
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am.”
American Standard Version
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Yeshua said to them: “Timeless truth I speak to you: Before Abraham would exist, I AM THE LIVING GOD.”
Contemporary English Version
Jesus answered, "I tell you for certain that even before Abraham was, I was, and I am."
D
ouay-Rheims Bible
Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you, before Abraham was made, I am.
Good News Translation
"I am telling you the truth," Jesus replied. "Before Abraham was born, 'I Am'."
International Standard Version
Jesus told them, "Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, before there was an Abraham, I AM!"
Literal Standard Version
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham’s coming—I AM”;
New American Bible
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
NET Bible
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I am!"
New Revised Standard Version
Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”
New Heart English Bible
Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM."
Weymouth New Testament
"In most solemn truth," answered Jesus, "I tell you that before Abraham came into existence, I am."
World English Bible
Jesus said to them, "Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM."
Young's Literal Translation
Jesus said to them, 'Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham's coming -- I am;'
Literal Standard Version
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham’s coming—I AM”;
Berean Literal Bible
Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."
Young's Literal Translation
Jesus said to them, 'Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham's coming -- I am;'
Smith's Literal Translation
And Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was born, I am.
Literal Emphasis Translation
Jesus said to them, Truly, truly I say to you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Catholic Public Domain Version
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was made, I am.”
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Yeshua said to them: “Timeless truth I speak to you: Before Abraham would exist, I AM THE LIVING GOD.”
Lamsa Bible
Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was born, I was.
Anderson New Testament
Jesus said to them: Verily, verily I say to you, before Abraham came into being, I was.
Godbey New Testament
Jesus said unto them, Truly, truly, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Haweis New Testament
Jesus said unto them, Before Abraham had a being, I Am.
Mace New Testament
Jesus said to them, verily, verily I say unto you, before Abraham was I AM.
Weymouth New Testament
"In most solemn truth," answered Jesus, "I tell you that before Abraham came into existence, I am."
Worrell New Testament
Jesus said to them, "Verily, verily, I say to you, before Abraham existed, I am."
Worsley New Testament
Jesus said unto them, Before Abraham was, I am.